Music
The Music department includes the following:
- Mr M Heaton – Director of Music
- Miss E Reynolds – Teacher of Music
As a key member of the creative subjects at SST Maidstone, the Music department aims to inspire students and build a culture of Music within the school. Students have significant opportunities to access a range of instruments and are guided to learn fundamental knowledge and skills to support students progressing to future qualifications.
The Music department runs a significant number of clubs each week, including Choir, Orchestra, Drum Club and Concert Choir, whilst offering access to a range of specialist teachers for students who wish to learn an instrument in school. The department organise a number of concerts which showcase the musical talents of our students, working collaboratively with other school on the campus.
Curriculum Topics
Year 7
- Notation reading – learning to read a wide variety of rhythmic values including crotchets, quavers, semiquavers, minims, semibreves and dotted rhythms.
- Musical toolkit (exploration of vocabulary) that can will have transferrable future application.
Students will also develop harmonic skills through the learning of Primary Triads, and using these, they will be able to explore:
- Music from the Baroque Period
- Music from the Classical Period
- Music from the Romantic Period
Through the exploration of this, students have a basic historical understanding of how music has changed over time.
Year 8
Students will further explore their notation reading (building on year 7) looking at more advanced rhythmic concepts and exploring pitch.
Building upon their keyboard skills/harmonic understanding, students continue their journey throughout music history, exploring:
- The Blues
- Jazz
- Rock ‘n’ Roll
- Song writing
By the end of year 8, students should have gained:
- A basic ability to read and perform from music notation
- An ability to play and understand music in a range of different styles using primary triads
- A basic understanding of the harmonic underpinnings within music
An understanding of how music has changed over time, whilst appreciating the links between seemingly unconnected styles.
Year 9
In year 9, students will continue to build on the learnt key skills, further exploring music reading, harmonic understanding, vocabulary and composition.
Whilst new terms and concepts will be learn, students will also explore previously learnt vocabulary in a new context, as well as further developing their music technology skills with more exploration of composition through their Ipads.
Topics include:
- Music for Film
- The modes and folk music
- Advanced music technology
Lessons covered in year 9 will prepare students for the possibility of taking Music GCSE or an equivalent course in music technology.
Years 10 and 11
Students can opt to take music GCSE or a music technology equivalent
Years 12 and 13
Students can opt to take music A level at Invicta Grammar School or Music Technology at Valley Park.
Transition Information
Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3
All work undertaken is designed with the understanding that all students have had a wide variety of musical backgrounds; from little or no provision at primary school to independent extra-curricular music provision. Because of this, all aspects of the curriculum are designed to all students to potentially reach the highest levels, whilst also offering appropriate challenges and extensions for those with prior experience.
Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4
Key Stage 3 is designed to equip students with all the necessary skills that will enable them to take either music GCSE or a Music Technology equivalent. Students will gain the ability to read music, understand basic harmony, acquire a basic grasp of music periods throughout history and gain confidence in performing composing.
Key Stage 4 to Key Stage 5
The GCSE course and A level course are very similar. Both feature composition (30%) and performance (30%) which expand upon skills originally learnt at Key Stage 3S3 and but developed at increasingly more sophisticated levels. The set works (40%), which are more numerous at A level, expand upon the basic historical framework learnt at Key Stage 3.
Beyond Key Stage 5
Students are given opportunities to look at different routes to learn music beyond the Sixth form, including the role of music in jobs involving apprenticeships, college courses and University modules.
Extended Curriculum Opportunities
Please click here to view the Extended Curriculum Opportunities
